Pictures and Dreams
by Babytenz
Summary: People have changed since Voldemort came back to power. Ginny hasn't. Draco beings to see Ginny a bit differently than before. Maybe there's more to her than most people think. Suck at summaries, so just read....
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Okay, I'm gonna get really sick of saying this at the start of every chapter, so I'll just say it this once. This goes for every bit of story I write. None of this is mine. The plot maybe, but nothing else. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling and her brilliant mind!!  
  
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Ginny Weasley. The youngest of the Weasley children. Also the quietest. She didn't always talk much, but she had more to say than most people. Nobody really knew the real Ginny. Probably because no one took the time to notice her or get to know her. The more you sit by life's sidelines, the more you learn about yourself and others. Ginny sat and observed.  
  
Sitting alone, Ginny was on her way back to Hogwarts for her sixth year. The windows in her compartment on the Hogwart's Express was open, so she could hear conversations going on in the compartments in front of and behind her. In one compartment, Ginny could hear the voices of three people: her older brother, Ron, Hermione, and the famous Harry Potter. They were talking about Voldemort. Things had really changed since he came back to power. The way the wizarding world was had changed. People lived in constant fear. Not living for the moment, but wondering if they'd live to see the next day. Ginny listened to the conversation at first, but chose to ignore her brother and his friends, seeing as they never payed much attention to her anyways. In the other compartment, Ginny recognized the voice of Draco Malfoy. He seemed to be talking to his best friends, Crabbe and Goyle. Ginny ignored him too. She took an old binder out of her schoolbag. It contained pictures of tropical beaches and outter space. Bored with the long train ride on the Hogwart's Express, Ginny decided to flip through the huge binder. She soon got lost in a trance as she stared at the pictures, completely blocking out the sound of anything else.  
  
Finally, the train came to a hault. As Ginny was leaving her compartment, she tripped, and her binder fell to the floor with a thud. She bent down to pick it up, but another hand had gotten to it first. Ginny looked up into the cold eyes of Draco Malfoy. Or at least the usually cold eyes. Something was different about them this time. He almost had a look of exhaustion on his face.  
  
Draco stared at the binder he had just picked up. "What's this, Weasley? I do hope you're not playing around with diaries again. We all know where that got you last time", he said in menacing tone. The cold stare seemed to be back in his eyes again.  
  
"It's a...binder..", Ginny managed to get out. She wasn't usually shy, but something made her feel different around Draco. She wasn't sure if she was scared to talk to him, with all the rumors about him being on the Dark Side and all, or just because he was a Malfoy, part of the family that treated hers rather poorly. Maybe she was just scared of losing her temper at his comment about the diary. She had gotten herself into a lot of trouble once involving Voldemort and his old diary. Ginny stared at her binder in Draco's hands but made no move to take it back from him.  
  
Draco stared at her again. "Well do you want it back, or should I toss it in the garbage where it more than likely came from"?  
  
Ginny was used to hearing insults coming from Draco, so she ignored it. Instead of defending herself, she said something else. "It's in your hands now, Malfoy. Do what you want". Not knowing where it came from, Ginny stood, frozen in amazement at herself. Of course she wanted the binder back. It was the one thing that made her who she was.  
  
Draco froze too. Ginny Weasley never usually spoke to him, even if she was being insulted. Not only was Draco in shock of her speaking to him, but also at what she had said. He had expected maybe a "leave me alone", but that was all. He'd never expect to hear an "I don't care" attitude from Ginny. This time, instead of the usual cold stare, he gave Ginny one that told her he was confused. "And do you think you'd be happy with my decision?"  
  
Ginny didn't know what to say. Instead of speaking, she still stood there, slightly frightened. Draco, confused, slowly handed her the binder. More people were coming out of the train compartments now. Ginny took the binder from Draco's hands. She caught eyes with him, and for a brief second, they both stared at each other.  
  
"Ginny! Are you coming up to the school with us?", came Ron's voice from the other end of the train's corridor.  
  
Ginny looked away from Malfoy's eyes. Something in them made her shiver. "Uh, yeah, I'll be right there, Ron." She took one more look at Draco, before she turned away to get her schoolbag, binder in hand.  
  
As Ginny was exiting off the train with her brother and his friends, Draco still had his eyes on her, still looking at her with a confused expression on his face. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Might as well say it again, just in case. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling.  
  
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"Train ride seemed a bit longer than usual this year, don't you think?", Harry asked Ginny. Since Voldemort returned, he seemed to talk to her more. Maybe he noticed that she didn't have many friends and thought that this was a time when people needed friendship more than ever before.  
  
"I suppose so", Ginny responded. "I was looking at pictures and reading, so I didn't notice very much".  
  
As the four of them continued on their way to the castle, Ginny still had her mind on what had happened with Draco. They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul, so why did Draco's give off a look like no other she had seen before? Ginny decided she wasn't going to waste her time thinking about someone who wouldn't waste his time thinking about her.  
  
During the feast at the Great Hall, time-tables for the semester were handed out. Defence Against The Dark Arts teachers were getting hard to find these days. Most witches and wizards were too scared to take the job. A new teacher, Professor Young, was the one to land the job. She also had another job aside from teaching, so she could only attend three classes a day. Due to the missing class, sixth and seventh years had been combined for the Dark Arts class. Gryffindor and Slytherin had classes together. Aside from that, Ginny's schedule looked pretty good.  
  
"Ginny!!!", came a voice from the end of the Great Hall. Ginny looked up and saw her friend, Anna, running towards her. "It's so good to see you", Anna said happily.  
  
"Great to see you too, Anna! Why weren't you on the Hogwarts Express?"  
  
"Oh, you know my family. Always late. We missed the train. Had to use floo powder to get here. I must look awful with soot and ash all over me", Anna replied as she frowned looking down at her dirty robes.  
  
Ginny had met Anna in her third year at Hogwarts. They weren't the best of friends, but Anna was one of the only girls that Ginny had anything in common with. They both came from familes with many children, both being the youngest.  
  
"So tell me all about the ride here. Did you get to sit with Harry"? Anna winked at Ginny as she said this.  
  
"Not funny, Anna. You know I was over the childish crush back in my fourth year. Harry wasn't the one for me, and no, I didn't sit with him". Anna still liked to tease Ginny about her past crush on Harry sometimes. Ginny wasn't lying; she really was over Harry.  
  
"Right..", Anna said, not looking completely convinced. "Who did you sit with then"?  
  
"Nobody. I sat alone. Just read and stuff like that.. ya know? What I usually do".  
  
"Going through your binder again I imagine". Anna always saw Ginny flipping through the pictures in it.  
  
Ginny just simply shrugged. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't. Doesn't matter anyways. What does matter is that I'm starting to get a headache. I'm gonna run up to the hospital wing and get some medication. I'll see you back in the common room later, all right"?  
  
"Yeah, sure. You don't want me to come with you, do you? Are you going to be all right?"  
  
"I'll be fine, Anna. It's just a small headache. I wanna stop it before it gets worse. You finish your dinner or it'll get cold. I'll see you in a bit!"  
  
Ginny left the Great Hall, heading towards the Hospital Wing. When she got there, Madam Pomfrey was already treating another patient. It seemed to be Ginny's lucky day. The patient was Draco Malfoy.  
  
"You should've had this treated to long ago, Mister Malfoy", said Madam Pomfrey with an upset look on her face. "It could've gotten seriously infected!"  
  
Ginny noticed that Madam Pomfrey was tending to a rather large cut on Draco's arm. Madam Pomfrey noticed Ginny standing in the doorway.  
  
"Can I help you, Miss Weasley?", she asked.  
  
At the mention of Ginny's name, Draco looked up to see her. He quickly tried to hide his arm from view.  
  
"Could I have some medication for my head please?", Ginny asked politely. "I'm starting to get a headache."  
  
"Of course child. Sit down for a minute, and I'll be right back with some tylenol and pumpkin juice for you." Madam Pomfrey left the room in search of the medicine cabinet.  
  
Ginny sat on one of the hospital beds and stared at the stone floor. She only looked up again when she realized Draco was talking to her.  
  
"Headache, Weasley? Tripped again and hit your head this time, no doubt."  
  
Once again, ignoring Draco's rudeness, Ginny looked at him. First at his face, then at his arm. "And what exactly happened to you? Are you all right? It looks sort of serio..." Ginny trailed off. Why should she show any concern for Draco Malfoy, even if the cut on his arm did look pretty bad.  
  
"It's none of your concern what happened to me, Weasley, and you keep that in mind." This time it was Draco's time to stare at the floor. Neither of them spoke again.  
  
Madam Pomfrey had returned within a minute or two with some tylenol and juice for Ginny. "Here you go dear. These pills will make you drowsy, so it's best to take them and go straight to bed", she said.  
  
Ginny thanked Madam Pomfrey and turned to leave the Hospital Wing. She took one last look at Draco and noticed that the same odd look was in his eyes again. The same one she had seen earlier in the afternoon.  
  
As Ginny was following the corridor to get to the Gryffindor common room, a voice from behind called out her name. The voice of Draco Malfoy. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ginny stopped, but didn't turn around. She could hear Draco's footsteps coming closer towards her.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey asked me to give this back to you on my way to the common room. Second time today I've rescued this thing for you. You owe me", Draco said coldly.  
  
Ginny turned aruond and noticed her binder, once again, in Draco's hold. She almost grabbed it from him. "Thanks", she said.  
  
Ginny waited for Draco to leave, but he stood firm in place. "So, uh, you seem to carry this piece of junk around with you a lot. What's in it anyways?"  
  
"What would you care about any of my possessions, Draco?" Ginny wondered why he'd be interested in talking to her about anything, let alone her binder.  
  
"So I finally get a little attitude back from you. That's different, Weasley. I brought it back to you, so I should at least get to see what's in it."  
  
"Why are you still talking to me? Don't you have better things to do... more evil things", Ginny asked.  
  
Unexpectedly, Draco began to laugh. "You think I'm evil?"  
  
Suddenly, Ginny began to feel a little ashamed and embarassed. Maybe it wasn't the best accusation to give Draco, even if he *was* a Malfoy.  
  
"Palms, sand, moon, and stars", Ginny replied, trying to change the topic.  
  
"What??" Draco looked confused again.  
  
"You asked me what was in my binder. Pictures of beaches and outter space. I like to look at them".  
  
"And why would you wanna carry around a notebook full of those pictures?" Draco almost sounded as if he really wanted to know.  
  
Ginny hesistated but decided to answer. "I find that beaches are so peaceful. Just the whole setting... so perfect. And space is so quiet, so beautiful. With all that's going on in our world these days, it's nice to think of a getaway. A place where maybe things would be different, be better." Not believing that she had just opened up to Draco Malfoy, Ginny just stood in shock of herself.  
  
Draco didn't laugh at her. He didn't insult her either. "Don't ever lose the binder again then, Ginny", Draco replied.  
  
"You called me by my name", Ginny said, shocked.  
  
"Isn't that the purpose of a name? To be used?"  
  
"Well, yes, but you've never called me by my first name before. You've never said anything nice to me either. Why start now?" Ginny eyed Draco. He didn't have the same look about him as usual. Not the cold, hateful look. This was more a warm, friendly look.  
  
"Because you're different." With that, Draco turned and left a very confused, shocked Ginny in the corridors.  
  
Ginny got back to the common room. Anna was fussing about how Ginny had taken awhile. She always worried about things too much. Ginny said goodnight and went to bed with her pills. Once again, thinking of a blonde- haired teen. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: *Sighs*... it's not mine, it's J.K.'s!!  
  
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Ginny Weasley was tossing and turning in her sleep. She was dreaming.....  
  
He was sitting in a corner, looking like he had been there for quite awhile. It was Draco Malfoy, except he looked different. His blonde hair was spilling over his face and in his eyes. He didn't have his usual look of intimidation, but a look of fear. Ginny could see the same cut on his am that she had seen earlier that day. It was bleeding again. Next thing she was was a hooded figure going towards Draco. The look of fear he wore turned into a look of horror. He was shouting at the figure, but no sound came from his mouth. Ginny couldn't hear him. She watched as the Draco in her dreams was beaten.  
  
She wanted to wake up, but she couldn't. She couldn't stand the sight of someone getting beaten either, even if it was a Malfoy. Ginny took her eyes off Draco and began to examine the place he was in. She couldn't see much; there wasn't enough light. What she could see was a cold, stone floor. It appeared to be damp too. She could see a bit of a tunnel in one direction. Something was really familiar about the place. Ginny looked back in Draco's direction to see the hooded figure turn away from Draco and head in a different direction. It had stopped walking and was using hand motions as if it was talking to some other person. Ginny couldn't see the person. The figure raised its arm threateningly, and Ginny awoke with a start.  
  
She noticed very quickly that she still had her small headache, except it wasn't so small anymore. Her head was throbbing as if she had a migraine. Thinking some fresh air would help, Ginny grabbed her cloak and headed towards the door to the girl's dormitories. She looked back at the table by her bed. Her binder was lying there. She went back, grabbed it, and headed out into the school's quiet and lonely corridors.  
  
She made it out the front dorrs of the school without being caught by the caretaker, Argus Filch. Not knowing where to go, she headed towards the Quidditch pitch. After about a half hour of walking around the outside of the pitch, Ginny decicded to go for another stroll on the actual field. As she was walking, she noticed a figure lying in the middle of the pitch. The person sat up as they heard her approaching. Very relieved to see the person was alive, because finding dead bodies was a common thing now that Voldemort was back, she walked towards them.  
  
"We seem to be running into each other a lot, don't you think, Weasley?", the person spoke. Ginny knew right away who it was. It was Draco again.  
  
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A/N --- Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! Feel free to flame me too! I'm sorta new at the whole story thing, so I guarantee there will be screw-ups. Constructive criticism is very welcome!!  
  
Noddy: Thanks for pointing out the binder thing. They could exist, but yeah, you're right, I doubt it lol. I'll try and fix that up in the next chappy! Mind you, it'll prolly be a bad cover-up hehe.  
  
I'll try to update as much as possible! It takes me time sometimes to figure out where I'm going with the story though. I know where I want it to end up, but I'm still not 100% how to get it there. So bare with me. Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing!! Keep checkin' back!!  
  
~~ Babytenz ~~ 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: S'all J.K. Rowling's!! 'Cept for my plot. It's mine, my own... my precccious! Muahaha!!  
  
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Ginny almost wanted to leave, but she responded. "I suppose so. What are you doing out here at this hour"?  
  
"Couldn't sleep, I guess. I don't really have to give you a reason". He looked at her for a brief second and then went back to lying on the ground.  
  
"It's cold out here. You may catch a cold lying on the ground like that," Ginny said. After the dream she had just had less than an hour ago, she felt that she couldn't be mean to him.  
  
"And what do you care about my health? What does anyone care?" he trailed off.  
  
"What did you say?" Ginny asked.  
  
"Nothing important. Are you gonna block my view of the moon all night, or are you thinking of moving out of the way sometime soon"?  
  
Ginny said nothing, so Draco continued. "Quiet one, aren't you"?  
  
"To those I wish to be quiet to," Ginny replied.  
  
"Any why to me? I'm actually taking to you, Weasley. You should be honored and carry on a conversation. Or did your parents not teach you manners"?  
  
"You should speak, Malfoy! What would I have to talk to you about anyways? Aything I say gets blown back in my face"! Ginny was starting to get upset at Draco's constant rudeness.  
  
Draco looked as if he was going to explode at her, but then the look changed. "Sorry then," he said. "Don't talk if you don't want to".  
  
"No, I'll talk," Ginny said firmly. "I'll start by asking, once again, why you're being nicer than usual to me".  
  
"I can be nice, Weasley. Just because I get a rather good laugh out of being mean, it doesn't mean I'm all bad. You seem like the type that people would see in a different way than you really are. Do you like them seeing you as they do? They shouldn't judge you. I know I do, but hey, it's me isn't it? Draco Malfoy. You shouldn't assume that I'm, what was it you called me earlier? Evil"? Draco looked away from Ginny and went back to looking into the sky.  
  
"Sorry," Ginny said quietly. "I didn't think you had any sensitive feeling. The way you act and all. People just see you as the evil type".  
  
"The same people that only see you as Ron Weasley's little sister, right"?  
  
Ginny was lost for words again, so she just sat down. Not too close to Draco, but too far away either.  
  
"So, that binder thing. It that what you called it earlier? Why do you take it everywhere"?  
  
"To look at when I'm upset or sad," Ginny replied.  
  
"And which are you now," Draco asked.  
  
"Confused and sick".  
  
"That's unfortunate. Where did you get it anyways? I've never seen books like that before. At least not in this world". Draco examined the binder carefully.  
  
"You'll only laugh, but that's nothing new, so I'll tell you. It's something muggles use, especially in school. As you to tease me about, my family likes to look at muggle items. We were shopping in muggle London one day, and I bought it to keep my pictures in".  
  
"Interesting... So, I never asked you, what are you doing out here"?  
  
Ginny wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to say she had a disturbing dream, but she didn't think she should be telling Draco Malfoy that she was dreaming about him. "I woke up, and my headache from earlier was worse. I didn't want to disturb Madam Pomfrey this late at night, so I figured some fresh air might help". She didn't mention anything about her dream, though she wanted to so badly.  
  
For a few moments, the two of them lay on the ground, staring into space. Finally, Draco spoke again. "You were right. Star-gazing is peaceful. Relaxing. Especially in light of all that's happening".  
  
"And what exactly do you have to worry about anyways? You dad's in Voldemort's inner circle. I'd say you're pretty safe"!  
  
"How would you know about my father," Draco asked curiously, yet angerly.  
  
"Harry's talked about him before with Ron and Hermione. I don't usually listen, but sometimes I can't block them out". It was no secret that Lucius Malfoy was on the Dark Side anyways.  
  
"What does Potter think he knows"?  
  
"Back in his fourth yeah. Oh, you remember, don't you? At the end of the Tri-wizard Tournament? Harry and Voldemort met again, and the Death Eaters were there. Your father's name was mentioned, according to Harry". Draco said nothing, so Ginny continued. "It's no secret anyways. About your father and all".  
  
"Maybe not, but I'm not like him," Draco said defendingly.  
  
"You're not a Death Eater then," Ginny asked, finding it hard to believe.  
  
Draco looked amused. "No, I'm not".  
  
Ginny stared at him with an obvious look of doubt and disbelief on her face.  
  
"What? Don't believe me, Weasley"? Draco pulled up the sleeve on his left arm. There were cuts and bruises, but no Dark Mark. "Tell me when you find any skulls there, would you? I'd be interested in knowing if I had one".  
  
Ginny looked embarassed. "I'm sorry then, Draco. You're right, I shouldn't assume things about people I don't really know".  
  
"You know nothing about me. I'm not old enough anyways. You can't become a Death Eater until you're eightteen. I'm still seventeen until May".  
  
"And do you want to become a Death Eater," Ginny asked.  
  
"Want to? No," Draco replied.  
  
"Have to," Ginny asked.  
  
Quickly changing the topic, Draco asked, "How's your head then"?  
  
"Somewhat better," Ginny replied. She knew Draco didn't want to talk about the whole Death Eater situation. She took the hint and left the subject alone.  
  
"Then maybe you should head back to bed. First day of classed tomorrow, you know".  
  
"I don't want to go back. I think there's more to you than meets the eye, Draco Malfoy". Ginny was interested in talking to Draco now. He was being so much different at the moment.  
  
"Yeah, and," Draco asked.  
  
"Maybe I want to keep talking to you. Get to know you better".  
  
Draco let out a small chuckle. "You don't want to get to know the real me, Ginny. I know you don't".  
  
"And why's that"?  
  
"Because no one wants to".  
  
"You couldn't handle it anyways".  
  
Ginny said nothing.  
  
After a few minutes, Draco spoke. "Well, I'm going back to the castle. You were right about it being cold out here". Draco got off the ground and started off towards the school. Noticing that Ginny wasn't following, he stopped and turned around. "Do you really want to be out here, alone at night, these days"?  
  
"No, not really," Ginny replied. She got up and headed back with Draco. Neither of them said another word the entire time. Not even a goodnight.  
  
Ginny got back to the Gryffindor common room and headed back to bed. She didn't know why, but she wanted to talk to Draco again. Learn more about him if she could. There was something really different about him this year. Something that made her almost want to be friends with him. Maybe they weren't so different from each other afterall.... 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: *Cries*.. it's not mine :(  
  
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"Ginny!.... Ginny, wake up"!  
  
Ginny opened her eyes to see her friend, Anna, standing over her bed.  
  
"You must've been in some deep sleep, Gin. That was about the fifth time I called your name"!  
  
Ginny yawned. "What time is it," she asked.  
  
"Time for breakfast in the Great Hall. We're late anyways. Get dressed, and let's get going," Anna replied.  
  
Anna left as Ginny got dressed. Too tired and still half asleept, Ginny did nothing with her hair. She was never the type to care much about her looks anyways.  
  
Fairly soon, the two girls were on their way down to the Great Hall. As Ginny started to wake up more, she remember the events of the previous night. She had talked with Draco Malfoy. Not an insult war, but a conversation. And the dream she had... the very odd dream.  
  
"Gin, are you listening to me," Anna asked.  
  
"Huh? Sorry, I'm still not fully awake," Ginny half-lied. Her mind was elsewhere.  
  
"I asked how your feeling today. Is your headache all gone"?  
  
"Yeah, pretty much. Still a tiny bit sore, but I'm good".  
  
"Are you sure? Maybe you should stay back in the common room and rest today, because you can never be too careful, and," Anna said, but Ginny cut her off.  
  
"Anna, please stop worrying so much. You're the most paranoid person I know". Ginny laughed at her friend's face. The one that wore a worried expression. "I'm fine. Besides, I can't really miss the first day of classes now, can I"?  
  
Anna sighed. "I suppose not, but if you get sick, go and take a nap, all right"?  
  
"Yeah, sure".  
  
Ginny ate her bacon and pancakes in silence. From across the Great Hall, she could see Draco. He was talking to a Slytherin girl, Pansy Parkinson. He looked pretty annoyed at her. Draco looked over at Ginny, and they met eyes for a small second. Ginny turned away and went back to looking at her time-table. She had Potions class first down in the dungeons.  
  
Snape was being his usual self, meaning he took points away from Gryffindor house for no apparent reason. Today the class was working on a love potion. Ginny was partenered up with Julie O'Brien, a fellow girl from Gryffindor. She watched in amusement as Anna and her partner, Colin Creevey, tried to clean up the potion they'd spilt. Colin tried to take a picture of it and ended up banging into the cauldron. Snape took twenty points away from Gryffindor for that. Colin had gotten some potion on his hands, and Anna was the first girl he saw. For the next hour of class, he was looking at her with dreamy eyes.  
  
Transfiguration was Ginny's best subject. She almost fell asleep a few times during class. They were turning chains into rope and vice versa. Next came lunch. Ginny was sitting alone, because Anna was in the dungeons doing some extra cleaning for Snape. Harry, Ron, and Hermione approached her.  
  
"Hey Ginny," Hermione said with a smile. "How are classes going for you so far"?  
  
"Not bad. I'm really tired today though, so I may not be catching all of the notes so far".  
  
"Make sure you get caught up if you've missed anything, Ginny," said Ron, being the protective big brother he was. He was always worrying about her.  
  
"I'm fine, Ron. No need to worry".  
  
"Well, I'm off to the library to get a head start on the homework for this evening. Being Head Girl and all, I'd like to keep ahead of things. Anyone want to come with me," Hermione asked.  
  
"Sure, I will," Ron answered really quickly. He still had his foolish crush on Hermione. They went out for a bit back in their fifth year, but decided it'd be best to be friends. It was obvious that Ron wasn't over her yet. He was still love-struck on her.  
  
Hermione smiled, and the two of them headed off towards the library. Harry, however, stayed back with Ginny.  
  
Ginny continued on her lunch, not speaking to Harry. Noticing this, Harry spoke to her instead.  
  
"So, where were you last night, Gin," he asked.  
  
Ginny looked up at Harry with a really confused expression on her face. "What are you talking about"?  
  
"I saw you leave the common room. I was sitting over in the corner in the armchair by the fire. You didn't notice me, so I didn't say anything".  
  
"Oh," was all that Ginny said.  
  
"Yeah, where'd you go to that late at night"?  
  
"Just for a walk..."  
  
"With Malfoy, right"?  
  
Ginny was shocked. "How would you know if I did or didn't," she asked.  
  
"Are you forgetting that you can see the Quidditch pitch from the common room windows?"  
  
"Right. So, why were you spying on me? What were you doing up so late"?  
  
"My scar was hurting again. I couldn't sleep. I decided to sit by the fire for awhile. Got bored of that, so decided to look out the window. I saw you two lying in the middle of the pitch together. Is something going on between you two, Gin? I mean, he's Malfoy. He's never treated any of us with respect or anything".  
  
"I ran into him outside. No big deal, Harry. He didn't hurt me or anything. We just had a little talk".  
  
Harry stared at Ginny before talking again. "Well, what you do and who you associate with is really none of my business, but I will say one thing. Be careful. You know whose side his father's on. If he hurts you, don't let him get away with it".  
  
"Don't worry, I won't".  
  
Both of them sat there for a few moments.  
  
"So, you said your scar was hurting again last night," Ginny asked. "Are you all right now? How bad was it"?  
  
"Yeah, it was pretty sore. Enough to keep me awake anyways. I'm fine now. Voldemort must either have done something horrible last night, or be close by. It usually doesn't hurt unless it's one of those two things". Harry felt pain in his scar a lot now. "Someone needs to stop him. I'm obviously not the person for it, or I could've by now. All it would take would be one person to betray him. One Death Eater. Our world would be a safe place again".  
  
Ginny's thoughts went back to the previous night. "Yeah... one Death Eater. Or someone close to his Inner Circle".  
  
"Yeah, well I've gotta get going. Prepare for the next class and all. I'll see you at dinner, no doubt".  
  
"Alright, see you later Harry".  
  
Ginny finished her lunch and headed for Defense Against The Dark Arts class. The one class she shared with the seventh years. She took her seat as the lesson began. Ginny loved the class, so she was really into it. Into it enough that she didn't notice Draco staring at her.  
  
After dinner, Ginny went back to the girl's dormitories. Bored, she decided to flip through her binder again. She went to the table she usually kept it on to realize that it wasn't there. Ginny looked all over the room frantically. Eventually, she searched the entire common room and couldn't find it.  
  
'Of course,' Ginny thought. 'I must've left it down on the Quidditch pitch last night'. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I wish it was all mine, but it isn't. W00T for J.K. Rowling! Yay!!  
  
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Ginny rushed through the corridors of the school and ran out the front doors. There was still some time left before all students had to be back in their common rooms. The teachers didn't like students out after dark anymore though these days. When Ginny got around to the Quidditch pitch, Draco Malfoy was there once again. He was looking through her binder.  
  
"Mind giving it back again, Draco"?  
  
Draco handed the binder back to her. "You should be thankful that I found it before anyone else. And also that there's no flying lessons or Quidditch practice yet. Someone would've found it and done who knows what with it".  
  
"Yeah, thanks. So do you like, live out here or something," she asked.  
  
"If by 'live out here' you mean do I come here often, then yes".  
  
"Same thing. And why"?  
  
"I dunno, just a place to think".  
  
"And what do you like to think about"?  
  
"Things I don't want to talk about," Draco responded. Ginny once again knew to change the topic quickly.  
  
"Alrighty, fair enough".  
  
"So tell me a bit about yourself, Virginia". Draco stared at her.  
  
"Excuse me? You want me to tell you about myself? Why?" Out of all the shocked expressions Ginny had worn over the last day, this was the best one.  
  
"Well, if you're going to keep standing there and don't plan on going back in yet, then sit down. Talk".  
  
"Alright....What do you want to know"?  
  
"Tell me about your childhood".  
  
"My childhood"? Ginny found it an odd question for Draco to ask, but she answered. "Well, I'll start by saying my mother didn't name me Virginia. Just Ginny. We've always lived at the Burrow. Uh, I'm the youngest of seven kids. Yes, we've always been poor. Umm... we live on a farm. Well, sort of. Not really a farm, but we have animals. Also in the country kinda, so we could always play Quidditch for fun. Dad's worked at the Ministry of Magic since before I was born. Mom's just always stayed at home to take care of us. I don't really know what else you'd care to hear".  
  
"That's good. I suppose your parents always loved you too. Looked after you good too, didn't they"?  
  
"Yes, always. Why do you ask"?  
  
"Just wondering".  
  
"So, would you tell me about your childhood then? It only seems fair".  
  
Draco almost looked nervous. "It was nothing like yours. I'm an only child. Spoiled, but still mistreated. We live in a Manor. Yes, we've always been rich. That means that my father was always away, doing something to make money. My mother didn't have a job, but she was never home much either. The house elves took good care of me. We have so many. My parents never really payed much attention to me. Especially not father". He stopped as if it almost hurt to talk about.  
  
"He hurts you, doesn't he"? Ginny felt horrible to ask and bring up bad memories, but she wanted to know. She needed to.  
  
"Sometimes, yes. I deserve it though".  
  
"Draco! No one deserves to be beat. Especially not by their parents. Parents are supposed to love you and care about you"!  
  
"Yeah, well mine don't. No one does".  
  
"I care about you".  
  
"You never have, and why should you. I treat you and your family poorly".  
  
"Things and people change. In this case, I think both have". Ginny wasn't sure what was going on in her mind. Draco needed help, and she wanted to give it to him.  
  
"I can't believe I opened up to you," Draco said, looking disappointed with himself.  
  
"I'm glad you did. We may not have the best past, but I think we need to be friends".  
  
"Why is it a need"?  
  
"You're lonely, abused, and need someone to care about you. I'm lonely, different, and need a friend".  
  
"Well, if you persist, then fine. We'll be friends".  
  
Ginny looked into Draco's eyes. Not cold this time, but warm. "You've really changed, Draco".  
  
"Yeah, like you said, things have changed. And some things have changed me. From what I know about you, you haven't changed a bit".  
  
Ginny smiled. "So, how was your first day of classes"?  
  
The two of them talked for about another hour, until finally, it was really dark and really cold outside.  
  
"Maybe we should go back to the castle now," Draco suggested.  
  
"No, I'm fine. We can keep talking. Unless you really wanna go back"?  
  
"I saw you at breakfast this morning and in Dark Arts class. You were a mess in the Great Hall, and you were almost falling asleep in class. You're tired. Go to bed before you get really sick".  
  
"I guess I'm scared that if I stop talking to you, you might go back to normal and start treating me like trash again. I don't have many friends you know...".  
  
"Only major events can really change me. Unless something major happens overnight, then I think I'll talk to you tomorrow". Draco smirked at her. "Don't worry, I'll still be here tomorrow".  
  
Ginny sighed. "Fine," she said. "I'll go to bed".  
  
"Good. You really need to".  
  
"Uh, Draco"?  
  
"Yeah"?  
  
"Thanks for talking to me, and well, being nice. It's been a long time since I've had a good talk with someone. I have Anna, but she's not the type I can open up to. Something makes me think that you are".  
  
"No need to thank me, but you're welcome. Now get to bed"!  
  
"Aren't you coming back yet"?  
  
"No, there's still some stuff I wanna try to get off my mind before bed".  
  
"Alright, well, see you tomorrow then"!  
  
Ginny headed back up to the school. Suddenly she felt deep pity for Draco. What he had told her finally hit her. He was abused, unloved. No wonder he was always so mean to everyone. He's changed though. Maybe things were looking up for him. He was being nicer, but still, it seemed like there were things really bothering him. Ginny would just have to wait to find out. 


End file.
